


name one hero who was happy.

by mathHomework



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Achilles!Dream, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Blood and Injury, M/M, Manhunt AU, Non-Graphic Violence, Patroclus!George, The Song of Achilles - Freeform, it's realistic manhunt okay?? lol, maybe the violence is semi-graphic, star-crossed lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27062677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mathHomework/pseuds/mathHomework
Summary: Dream always acts so surprised when George catches up to him. When you live to hunt someone down, you get to know them better than they know themselves, whether you want to or not.-Realistic Minecraft/manhunt AU written along a quote from The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 206





	name one hero who was happy.

_**Had she really thought I would not know him?** _

Dream always acts so surprised when George catches up to him. When you live to hunt someone down, you get to know them better than they know themselves, whether you want to or not. 

_**I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell;** _

George has felt Dream’s calloused hands struggle against him, his kicks and punches panicky and erratic. And then, there was the way they both reeked of blood and sweat after a long fight. Sometimes, near the end of the line, George swore he could smell fear in the air, regardless of who’s time was up. Death was always a scary thing.

But George has felt those same hands shake against his skin, touch him with a tenderness that still makes his stomach churn, treat his wounds so gently. He thinks of the nervous kisses they’ve shared in secret, hearts racing, as if they were teenagers breaking curfew and meeting up without their parent’s permission. Which, maybe, isn’t that far from the truth, what with Bad and Sapnap always being on his dick about “ _Where the fuck have you been all night?”_ and “ _How did he manage to kill you with_ just _a stone axe? Weren’t you, like, 3/4ths iron?”_

 **I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth.**  
  
Dream is not as graceful as he should be. His steps are loud and heavy on the ground, their sounds echoing off of the walls of caves. Above ground, his footprints are so visible that even the worst trackers could follow them. George secretly hopes he starts being more careful.

Instead of learning how to be less obvious, Dream climbs trees, and stays on them for as long as possible. George teases him for it in their nicer moments, but the truth is that there are little things more terrifying than having an arrow shoot through leaves of a roofed forest and land right in your knee.

After a scuffle, it’s not unusual for George to have him pressed up against a wall, sword threatening to slit his neck in one clean stroke. Or, it’s the other way around; Dream has George pinned on the floor, the weight of his body crushing his waist, his sword out of range and Dream with his axe in hand. They’re always both breathing very hard, and if George closes his eyes, he finds it easy to imagine they’re about to do something much nicer than try to kill each other. Sometimes, Dream smiles and makes a joke about them kissing, which then (sometimes) leads to _actual_ kissing. Most times, Dream’s eyes are dark, his mouth is in a thin line, and George has nothing to act upon but his instincts.

 _ **I would know him in death,**_  
  
George had seen the life leave Dream’s eyes more than enough times. He knew, by now, there was no use in being sorry, but this didn’t stop the feeling from chewing at him when Dream’s death was in his own hands. It's almost calming, when the roles are reversed, and it’s George bleeding out in Dream’s arms. The blood loss makes it hard to think _too_ deeply, but there's always a resounding _“God, better me than him.”_ before he goes. He hopes no one can hear him think it.

_**at the end of the world.** _

And, there it is. The End. Dream’s killed off Sapnap and Bad, leaving just the two of them. His grip on his sword tightens. He knows what he has to do. What he _has_ to do. He _has_ to do this, right? He looks up at Dream. There’s a stab wound on his shoulder. It’s fresh. Who did that? Was it him?

The dragon roars, snapping George out of this daze. They’re close enough that George can see the little dents and scratches in Dream’s mask.

“George.” Dream always knows what to say.

“I think,” He thinks he’s sick of chasing and hunting and fighting and killing. “I think I want to let you kill the dragon.”

He’ll _let him_ kill the dragon. He hates that they will never be equals. Dream must hate it, too. There’s something sick about loving someone you’re always at the mercy of. Dream’s fear is always palpable, especially now. He’s so close, the situation so fragile. 

On one hand, George wants to kill. It’s a feeling so innate he’s scared he’ll never shake it. George looks at Dream and the most primal part of him wants to snuff whatever bit of life he has left. He doesn’t know if he was born this way or if something is putting these thoughts in his head, and he doesn’t know which of those two is scarier.

On the other hand, George is tired. He wants Dream to kill the dragon, to hold his hand and walk into the portal together. He wants to build a house with him, because he’s heard that blocks are for more than just breaking your fall. He wants to sleep in a bed, and without keeping one eye open the entire night. He wants so many things, so much more than he’s ever wanted to hurt.

The ground rumbles as the dragon approaches her perch, and George lowers his sword.

What’s another loss for the hunters?

**Author's Note:**

> I think Dream and George in pretty much every variation of a realistic Minecraft AU (realistic Dream SMP, realistic Manhunt, etc) mirror Achilles and Patroclus in a lot of ways, which is what inspired me to write this. I'm posting this on AO3 first, and then on my Tumblr, because I'm a little nervous of how it'll be received. Frankly, I don't think this is that good.
> 
> [The quote from TSoA that I drew from](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/599797-i-could-recognize-him-by-touch-alone-by-smell-i?page=16)


End file.
